


Mileage

by Yourwritersblock



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, M/M, Neil POV, Neil's fifth year, Super fluffy ending, so much introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 17:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16412411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yourwritersblock/pseuds/Yourwritersblock
Summary: Andrew had been receiving contracts for weeks, and had discarded all of them but the ones from New York and California. New York was only an hour flight away, but Neil would never expect Andrew to put himself through that. California was on the other side of the country. Either way, Andrew was leaving, and it wasn’t likely that they would see each other often.For the prompt: I’d love to see a fiction where Andrew surprises Neil that he doesn’t leave him after graduation but stays with Neil because he made it into a nearby team.





	Mileage

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I'm a little busy at the moment with my novel and final exams, but if you want to send a prompt to yourwritersblock on Tumblr I'll get round to it. Also this fic kind of spiralled out of control and ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> ((Also shout out to my mom because I used her name in this fic. It's a super rare name that's actually just a noun because my grandparents are Afrikaans and that's just how they roll))

It was almost funny, the difference between the brothers. Neil sometimes wondered how two people who looked so similar could be so different. Over the four years Neil had been at Palmetto, slight differences had emerged between the two; Andrew had bulked up a bit more, Aaron’s hair had darkened slightly. But at a glance they were still indistinguishable to everyone. Everyone but Neil. 

Now, watching Aaron’s crooked smile, and Andrew’s almost eye roll as they accepted their diplomas, even the Foxes had to accept that they looked light years away from each other. Matt had once asked Neil if he ever looked at Aaron’s smile and tried to picture it on Andrew. Neil hadn’t understood the question. Hadn’t understood why he would want Andrew to look like Aaron in any way when he found Andrew so attractive, and felt nothing when he looked at his brother. They were twins, but they weren’t the same. 

Neil pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and slumped lower in the plastic chair. Tears stung the backs of his eyes, but he hadn’t cried in so long he wasn’t sure he could anymore. The image of Andrew’s packed bags littering their dorm room slipped back into Neil’s thoughts. He tried to push it away for a bit longer, ignore the truth for one more day, but the verity of Andrew’s departure was pointed at him like the barrel of a gun. 

Panic itched at Neil’s skin. He bit down into his lip until he tasted blood in a poor attempt to reign it in, but he wasn’t sure he even knew how to sleep in the cramped bed he had shared with Andrew if his partner wasn’t there. The smell of cigarette smoke and cinnamon aftershave would fade soon enough. The cups of coffee Andrew left out for him after Neil’s morning run would disappear. 

The speaker announced Nicky’s name, and Neil zoned back in to watch Nicky flounce onto the stage and accept his degree with his usual amount of flair. He made sure to pay attention to Kevin as well, and even glanced up for Katelyn-soon-to-be-Minyard out of familiarity.

After the last person stalked off the stage the Foxes pushed themselves off of the uncomfortable seats and went to find the monsters. Matt, Dan and Renee had flown down for the ceremony, but Allison hadn’t been able to escape from some fashion week. The sms on Neil’s phone asking him to give them her congratulations sat unanswered.

“Well, that was as boring as I expected it to be,” Matt said. 

Dan punched him in the shoulder. Her growing baby bump hadn’t made her any less feisty. “I think they all looked very happy,” she said, ruffling Neil’s hair, “Even Andrew, in his own way.” 

Neil thought back to Andrew’s face as he assessed his twin. “Yeah,” Neil agreed, “If not for himself then at least for Aaron. I wonder if he’ll accept the contract for the New York Bugles to stay close to Aaron while he’s at med school.” The words sat like cement in his chest. Andrew had been receiving contracts for weeks, and had discarded all of them but the ones from New York and California. New York was only an hour flight away, but Neil would never expect Andrew to put himself through that. California was on the other side of the country. Either way, Andrew was leaving, and it wasn’t likely that they would see each other often. 

“We should round up the underclassmen and all go out for lunch,” Renee said from Neil’s side, “Allison gave me her credit card as a gift to Andrew and them.”

Renee’s non-profit job in Ethiopia had changed her looks considerably. She had dyed her hair back to brown to get rid of the impossible upkeep, and her usual pale skin had a golden tan. Out of all the upperclassmen, she had changed the most. Neil, who had become almost afraid of change over the last four years, felt a pang of sadness run through him at the sight of her. 

“Lunch sounds great, this one eats like a lion now that she can use the excuse that she’s ‘eating for two’.” 

Dan laughed and leaned further into Matt’s side. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, the monsters walked up to their little circle.

“Renee,” Andrew said, ignoring Dan and Matt completely. 

“Andrew,” she smiled.

Matt groaned, “Now that that’s out of the way, food?”

“Food sounds great,” Nicky said. He nudged Kevin the side and Kevin glared at him before agreeing on the grounds he could choose the restaurant. Matt groaned again but none of the upperclassmen said anything, leaving Kevin to pull out his phone and make a reservation at a place that undoubtedly sold kale smoothies.

Neil barely noticed their conversation, dread pounding in his ears. He wasn’t ready for this - he wasn’t ready for any of this.

“Hey,” Andrew said, cutting through the fog in Neil’s head. Andrew tilted his chin up as if demanding to know what Neil was thinking. There was no way Andrew didn’t know exactly what was on his mind though, so the question went unanswered. Instead, Andrew bumped his hand against Neil’s in a silent invitation, and Neil slotted their fingers together.   

 

\---

 

The first three days without Andrew had Neil chewing his fingernails down into uneven stubs. Andrew hadn’t called, but neither had Neil, and the radio silence was rubbing Neil’s skin raw. Robin skittered around Neil as though she was waiting for him to explode, and Jason had taken to sleeping in his girlfriend’s room across campus. Jack, as always, was insufferable. Neil glared at him after a particularly rough check during a scrimmage and felt grateful that they didn’t room together. 

The fourth day was significantly worse. The sun was sitting low on the horizon and Neil was gripping his phone as though it was his only life line. He flipped it open, thumb hovering above Andrew’s speed dial. The front door opened and Neil shut the phone without calling.

“Why don’t you just call?” Robin said from the entrance way. Neil looked up at her and she gestured at the phone he was crushing with his fingers. 

Neil dropped his eyes back to the cell and placed it on the couch next to him. “I’m worried I’m too dependent,” he said, avoiding her gaze, “I’m worried that I don’t know how to function as a person without him.” 

Robin walked further into the room and crouched in front of the couch. “There’s a difference between being dependant on someone,” she said, pressing the phone back into his hands, “and missing someone. You still have an independant life where you go to classes and spend time with the upperclassmen and form relationships outside of Andrew. But that doesn’t mean you don’t also have a life with him. People are more multifaceted than you seem to think.”   

She stood without waiting for a reply. Neil sat on the couch for another hour, phone sitting unopened in his grasp. 

By the weekend Neil could feel the irritation sharpening his words, and his restlessness had him getting up at four in the morning and running until seven. His heart was pounding behind his ribs and his feet felt numb by the time he rounded the corner of the dorm. Neil’s gait faltered and he almost tripped over himself when he saw the Maserati parked in its usual spot. Andrew was sitting on the bonnet with a cigarette between his lips. The gray smoke twisting through the early morning air like the complicated feelings in Neil’s chest, dissipating in the pale pink light. 

Andrew looked up as if hearing Neil’s laboured breathing, and Neil’s heart started pounding for a completely different reason. “Why are you here?” He asked when he was within arms reach of Andrew. He winced at the accusatory tone of the words and added: “Not that I haven’t missed you.” Andrew pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and Neil’s throat felt tight at the invitation.

“Yes or no?” Andrew asked. Neil nodded as he moved to brace his hands on each side of Andrew’s thighs. “I missed you,” he repeated before leaning in to press his lips against Andrew’s. Andrew’s lips were just as chapped and soft as Neil’s remembered, and days worth of tension bleed from his muscles.

A dizzying moment passed before Andrew pulled away. Neil chased his lips but Andrew pushed a hand against his sternum. “Go shower,” he said, sticking the forgotten cigarette back between his lips, “I have a surprise for you.” 

Neil trailed his fingers over Andrew’s thigh. “Robin and Jason both went on a camping trip with some friends over the weekend.” 

“Are you asking me something, Josten?”

“Shower with me?

Andrew’s eyes flicked along Neil’s body and he stubbed out the cigarette on the bonnet before sliding off. He headed for the stairs without checking if Neil was following him, and Neil broke into a smile before jogging to catch up.

 

\---

 

“So what’s the surprise?” Neil asked once he was dressed. He pushed his wet hair from his face and Andrew reached up to slide his fingers between the soaking locks. 

“It’s a twenty minute drive away,” Andrew said. He dug through Neil’s drawer for a moment before pulling on one of Neil’s long sleeved shirts and burying his nose in the collar. The sight had warmth blooming in Neil’s chest.

“Let me just grab my keys.” 

The two headed back down to the car and Neil had to run back up to lock the door they had left open. He jiggled the handle to make sure the lock was engaged. Four years ago he never would have forgotten to bolt the door, but despite Nathan’s men still crawling all over the country, and the Moriyama’s breathing down his neck, he felt safe. Safe with Andrew, safe with the Upperclassmen. Safe even with the underclassmen despite being stuck with Jack.

Andrew was already waiting for him in the car when he got back to the parking lot, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel to an irregular beat as Neil slid into the passenger side. They didn’t speak as Andrew drove. Neil was content to watch Andrew, and Andrew was content to focus on the hum of the car beneath him.

Nineteen minutes later they pulled up on the side of the road next to a modern looking block of apartments. Andrew killed the engine and climbed out.  Neil squinted at the building, trying to discern what they were doing there. When he’d wracked his brain and decided that he had no idea he followed Andrew out of the car. 

“Surprise,” Andrew said.

“I’m not sure what I’m looking at,” Neil said. 

Andrew lifted his hand and held it palm up. Neil caught on a moment later and mirrored the gesture. His brow furrowed as Andrew dropped a key into his outstretched hand. “You bought an apartment here?” Neil asked. 

“Ten points to Gryffindor,” Andrew answered.

Neil toyed with the key. “Why?” 

“I need a place to live.”

“But your team is going to be half way across the country,” Neil said, “why would you buy an apartment in South Carolina?”

Andrew shrugged, “I signed with the South Carolina Whales.”

“But the Whales are terrible,” Neil said. Andrew quirked a brow and understanding hit Neil. “Oh.”

Silence settled over them and Andrew leaned against the side of the Maserati. “The apartment is big enough for two,” Andrew said after a minute.

Neil turned his head to stare at Andrew. “Are you asking me something, Minyard?”

“If we get you a car you can easily get to campus for practice and classes, and Robin wants to move into the girl’s dorm to be closer to Chelsea,” Andrew said, scrutinising Neil’s expression. Neil’s heartbeat was pounding in his ears. “Move in with me?”

“Yes,” Neil said, threading his fingers through Andrew’s hair. He could feel his smile pulling at his cheeks, and for once he didn’t try hiding his joy from Andrew. “Yes.”  

 

  


End file.
